Singapore film rating system
In Singapore, film classification is decided by the Info-Communications Media Development Authority of Singapore. Advisory classifications These three classification categories are advisory and do not carry any legal enforcement. *'G' – General. Suitable for all ages. Equivalent to G. The following content limits by the guidelines at this classification are: **''Themes'' are suitable for viewers of all ages. **''Violence'' – Mild portrayals of violence are allowed. The occasional mild threat or menace is acceptable if justified by context. **''Sex'' – No sexual activity is allowed. Portrayals of affection (e.g. brief kissing) can be allowed. **''Nudity'' – No nudity is permitted. **''Language'' – No coarse language may be allowed. **''Drug and Substance Abuse'' – No references to illegal drugs or drug abuse. Content meant for children should not promote consumption of alcohol and tobacco products. **''Horror'' – The treatment of horror content should not be too realistic. Horror that is laced with humour may limit the impact of this element. *'PG' – Parental Guidance. Suitable for most but parents should guide their young. Equivalent to PG. The following content limits by the guidelines at this classification are: **''Themes'' – Themes should be suitable for children below 13 years. They should have a low sense of threat or menace, and be justifiable by the context. **''Violence'' – Moderate portrayals of violence without detail may be permitted if justified by context. No portrayal of violence may dwell on cruelty or infliction of pain. **''Sex'' – Sexual activity may be implied, and should be infrequent. Only mild displays of affection are allowed. **''Nudity'' – Discreet portrayal of back nudity is allowed if brief and not sexualised. **''Language'' – There may be infrequent use of mild coarse language if relevant and justified by the context. **''Drug and Substance Abuse'' – Only discreet references to illegal drug use are allowed, should not promote or endorse drug abuse, and should be justified by the context. Content meant for children should not promote consumption of alcohol and tobacco products. **''Horror'' – The frightening sequences should not be prolonged or very intense. Horror that is laced with humour may limit the impact of this element. *'PG13' – Parental Guidance 13. Suitable for persons aged 13 and older. Under 13s admitted, but strongly advises parental guidance for under 13s. It is the newest classification category. Equivalent to PG-13. The following content limits by the guidelines at this classification are: **''Themes'' – Themes should be suitable for teens between 13 and 15. Some darker themes are allowed. Crime or violence should not be glamorised or promoted. **''Violence'' – Moderate portrayals of violence with some detail may be permitted if justified by context. Portrayals can include some infliction of pain or injury, as long as it is not excessively detailed, intense, or prolonged. **''Sex'' – Sexual activity may be implied, and should be brief and infrequent. Sexual references or humour is allowed. Innuendo, crude gestures, and sexual imagery is allowed if mild and infrequent. **''Nudity'' – A discreet or fleeting side nudity may be permitted if not sexualised. There should not be any full-frontal nudity. **''Language'' – There may be infrequent use of stronger language (eg. "f**k"). **''Drug and Substance Abuse'' – Only discreet depictions of illegal drug use are allowed, should not promote or endorse drug abuse, and should be justified by the context. Content meant for children should not promote consumption of alcohol and tobacco products. **''Horror'' – Any depiction of horror can be more realistic and intense. Restricted classifications These three classification categories are legally age-restricted; it is illegal to allow anyone younger than the stipulated age limit to be admitted in cinemas. *'NC-16' – No Children Under 16. No one under 16 is admitted in cinemas, and videos are not to be supplied to anyone under 16. Equivalent to R. The following content limits by the guidelines at this classification are: **''Themes'' – Portrayal of mature themes may be permitted as long as they are treated with discretion and are appropriate for those aged 16 and above. **''Violence'' – There may be violence with the portrayal of the infliction of pain or injury, with some details of blood and gore (should not be prolonged or infrequent). No explicit sexual violence is allowed. **''Sex'' – Non-explicit depictions of sexual activity may be allowed, but may not contain significant detail or be prolonged. **''Nudity'' – There may be non-sexual, brief and discreet portrayal of of female upper body nudity. **''Language'' – Infrequent use of stronger expletives than on PG13 may be permitted if justified by context and not excessive in impact. No language that is offensive to cultural sensitivities may be permitted. Frequent and aggressive use of strong language will result in a film passing at a higher classification. **''Drug and Substance Abuse'' – Drug taking is allowed if brief and infrequent. The film as a whole may not promote or encourage the misuse of drugs. **''Horror'' – There may be disturbing or gory scenes without strong detail. Frightening scenes which are more prolonged may be allowed. *'M18' – Mature 18. No one under 18 is admitted in cinemas, and videos are not to be supplied to anyone under 18. Equivalent to soft NC-17. The following content limits by the guidelines at this classification are: **''Themes'' – Stronger portrayal and exploration of mature themes are allowed. Homosexual themes as a sub-plot may be allowed if discreet and not gratuitous. **''Violence'' – Realistic depiction of violence and gore with strong impact is allowed if justified by context. Portrayal should not be excessive, gratuitous, or exploitative. Stronger portrayals of sexual violence may be permitted if justified by context, infrequent, or without any considerable detail. **''Sex'' – Sexual activity may be permitted if justified by context, infrequent, or without any considerable detail. Depiction of occasional, mild sexual activity between persons of the same gender may be permitted if justified by context and non-gratuitous. **''Nudity'' – Full-frontal nudity with moderate detail allowed if justified by context and not excessive. There should be no close-up of genitalia. **''Language'' – Strong coarse language is allowed if not very frequent. **''Drug and Substance Abuse'' – Drug taking may be allowed with some details. The film as a whole may not promote or encourage the misuse of drugs. **''Horror'' – Prolonged and/or intense sequences that invoke fear or terror are allowed. *'R21' – Restricted 21. Only adults aged 21 and above are admitted in cinemas. There are no R21s for video releases. Equivalent to hard NC-17. The following content limits by the guidelines at this classification are: **''Themes'' – Stronger and more explicit portrayal and exploration of mature themes are allowed. Films that portray, as a main theme, same-sex marriages or parenting will be subject to strict review. **''Violence'' – Strong and realistic depictions of violence and gore allowed if justified by context. Non-gratuitous torture depictions are allowed, but cannot be exploitative. **''Sex'' – Simulated sexual activity, as long as it is not excessive, is allowed if not excessive. The more explicit images of sexual activity (e.g. masturbation, fellatio) need any special contextual justification. **''Nudity'' – Full nudity permitted, but cannot be excessive. Close-up of genitalia should be contextually justifiable. **''Language'' – Mostly without limits, but strong religious profanities are not allowed. **''Drug and Substance Abuse'' – Drug taking sequences are permitted. Detailed instruction of illegal drug use is not permitted. The film as a whole may not promote or encourage the misuse of drugs. **''Horror'' – Depiction of intense horror sequences with sustained threat or menace may be permitted with contextual justification. Portrayals of extreme abhorrent activity that may offend and cause significant discomfort may not be allowed. Refused classification In exceptional cases, material may be refused classification when the content of the film undermines national interest or erodes the moral fabric of society. A film is likely to be refused classification if it meets one or more of the criteria below: *It is deemed to undermine public order, or is likely to be prejudicial to national interest. *Themes that denigrate any race or religion. *Themes that glorify undesirable fetishes or behaviour. *Themes that promote or glamorise homosexual lifestyle. *Violence with an excessive depiction of violence and cruelty. *Detailed instructions on methods of crime, violence, or killings. *Exploitative or pornographic sexual acts. *Depictions of obscene or unnatural sexual activity (e.g. bestiality, necrophilia). *Depictions of actual sexual activity. *Gratuitous or offensive depictions of sexual activity including fetishes or offensive practices. *There is exploitative or excessive sexualised nudity. *Films as a whole that promote or encourage the use of illegal drugs. *Any detailed or instructive depiction of illegal or psychoactive drug use. However, if only some edits are needed to edit a small amount of material that meets the criteria above, it may be passed with a classification category after the distributor has made cuts. If the amount of cuts would be too complex or excessive, then it will be refused classification. Under Singapore law, it is a criminal offence to sell, copy, possess, or publicly exhibit material that has been refused classification by the IMDA. Trivia *Singapore's media classification board is known to be stricter than other classification boards such as the Motion Picture Association, the British Board of Film Classification, and the Australian Classification Board, thus making Singapore media accessibility for adults less free than these three countries. Some films with coarse language can contain a specific series of words, such as "Jesus '''f**king' Christ''". It is considered to be material that is "denigrating to any racial or religious community" according to the IMDA's classification guidelines. *Currently, suburban cinemas cannot screen R21 films at any time. Category:Asian rating systems Category:6 tiers Category:Movie rating systems